Within an oil or gas well, production fluids (liquids, gases, or any fluid produced from a wellbore) are produced to the surface within a production string placed in a wellbore. The production string is typically assembled with production tubing and completion components in a configuration that suits the wellbore conditions and the production method. Since oil wells typically vary from a few hundred to several thousands of feet in depth, there is often insufficient pressure to effect the flow of production fluids through the production string out of the well to the surface.
Several prior art systems involving different pumping and extraction devices have been developed to lift production fluids from a well. The most common is a downhole pump installed deep within the well. A surface hydraulic pump pressurizes power oil which drives the downhole pump. When a single production string is used, the power oil is pumped down the tubing and a mixture of the formation crude oil and power oil are produced through the casing-tubing annulus. If two production strings are used, the power oil is pumped through one of the pipes, and the mixture of formation crude oil and power oil are produced in the other, parallel pipe. Prior art artificial lift systems include for example, the progressive cavity pump and plunger lift, both of which are installed on jointed or continuous rods; electric submersible pumps; gear pumps installable on tubing and powered by downhole electric or hydraulic motors; and the Venturi Lift which is run on coiled tubing but is not a total production system. However, such systems tend to be complex or of substantial size and weight, requiring significant structural support elements at the wellhead which increase the expense of the overall system. Therefore, there is a need in the art for an apparatus which mitigates these limitations.